Robotics Fall 2007

Project 2 Measuring a box

Due: Thursday Nov 1st 2007 (papers due the following Tuesday)

Overview:

This is a modification of a
lab from
Rowan University. In this lab your robot will measure a cardboard box.
You will use a handyboard microcontroller and a lego body to do the
lab. Your robot will have to sense the box and measure how far is has
travelled when it believes that it has gone beyond the end of the box.

If you are missing something, you need to let me know ASAP - don't go
scavenging. I'll be gone to a conference next week so you need to find
what you are missing this week.

Two cardboard boxes are also at the back of the lab for you to practice
on. A new box will be used for demonstrations at the end of the month.

Lab Availability:

As previously mentioned, the lab is available anytime that the Moakley
open access lab is open except for during a class.

Your Task:

Your task is to build and program a robot that can do one or both of
the following tasks. Note that the first task can give you a maximum
grade of 89 (B+) if done perfectly, while the second , harder task
can get you a full 100% if done perfectly. However if not
done
well, both projects can earn you much lower grades. It is better to get
the first task working well and then start working on the second task
rather than just starting on the second task and not getting it working
very well.

Task 1: Your robot must calculate the volume of
the box,
having been given the depth and the height of the box by the
instructor, with your robot measuring the width of the box. You must
have a way of entering the depth and height information into the robot.
You can assume that the depth and height that you will be given as
integers, however you should make no such assumptions for the width
that the robot measures. (it should be a floating point value) All
measurements will be in centimeters. When your robot has traversed and
measured the width of the box, it should display the volume of the box
on its display.

Task2: Your robot must calculate the volume of the box,
having
been given the height of the box by the instructor, with your robot
measuring the width and depth of the box. As above, you need a way of
entering the integer height of the box into the robot. Your robots
measurements of the widgth and depth are to be done as floating point
values though. Again measurment will be in centimeters. When your robot
is done measuring , it needs to print out the volume of the box that is
has calculated.

Considerations:

Sensor calibrations: the color of the box is not
guaranteed. You
will be given a couple of minutes to calibrate your sensors in place to
handle the box color and the lighting differences in the room.

Don't move the box. The box will be light and might move if
your
robot runs into it - this will give you incorrect readings for sure.

This is a more challenging lab than the last one, you have to
integrate information from a variety of sensors and perform fairly
careful movements with the robot.